Draft connection



PATENTED JAN. 26, 1904.

' L. KEDING.

DRAFT CONNECTION.

APPLIUATIOK FILED MAY 26, 1902.

N0 MODEL.

Jim/52:50?

m: ncmm PETUIS co. Puma-inns" WASHINGTON. nv c.

UNITED STATES Patented January 26, 1904 PATENT OFFICE.

LOUIS KEDING, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR TO JOHN W. SUETTERLE, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

DRAFT CONNECTION.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 750,544, dated January 26, 1904.

Application filed May 26, 1902.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be'it known that I, LOUIS KEDING, a citizen of the United States, residing at" Milwaukee, county of Milwaukee, and State of Wisconsin, have invented new and useful Improvements in Draft Connections, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in draft connections adapted especially to be used in connection with fire-engines.

The object of my invention is to provide a form of construction in which the tongue or tongues can be held in raised position preparatory to hitching the horses to the vehicle and when lowered to the position of use securely held in such position, the tongue not being permitted to raise when the speed of v the horses is checked.

A further object of my invention is to provide a form of draft apparatus which may be readily disconnected from the vehicle, but

which will possess the requisite strength and durability under the heavy strain to which such attachments are subjected in connection with fire-engines.

The device as illustrated in the drawings is adapted for a vehicle intended to be drawn by three horses.

A further object of my invention is to provide means for equalizing the draft in such mechanisms.

In the following description reference is had to the accompanying drawings, in whi'ch- Figure 1 is a top view of the pole mechanism, partly broken away. Fig. 2 is a side view of the same. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the evencr-bars, and Fig. 4 is a cross-section drawn on line as m of Fig. 1.

Like parts are identified by the same reference characters throughout the several views.

The tongues 1 are secured to a cross-head 2, which is adapted to be connected with the hounds by means of a bar 3, having a pointbearing 4: at its inner end adapted to engage in a suitable socket in the vehicle in which my invention is applied. 5 represents curved angle-iron braces. These angle-irons 5 are bolted to the respective sides of the bar 3 and are curved outwardly and extended along the Serial No. 108,931. (No model.)

cross-head 2 to its outer ends, being bolted to the cross head, as shown. By the use of curved angle-irons I not only reinforce the bar 3 and cross-head 2, but also effectually brace'the joint between these parts. Near the ends of the cross-head 2 the tongues are attached by means of metallic brackets 6 and bolts 7, the tongues being secured in the brackets by cross-bolts 8, and each bracket being provided with a transverse rest 9, extending underneath the tongue. The under side of each tongue is provided with a latch 10, supported from the tongue by suitable brackets 11 and 12, a spring 13 being used to hold the latch normally in locking position. The under surface of the locking end of the latch is beveled, as shown. 14 is a handle for the manipulation of the latch. With this construction when it is desired to raise either one of the tongues the latch is retracted by backward pressure on the handle 14 to withdraw its locking end from underneath the crossrest 9, whereupon the tongue can be raised upon the pivot-bolt 8. When it is desired to lower the tongue, the latch will be automatically retracted by the engagement of its beveled surface with the cross-rest 9 until the tongue reaches a horizontal position, when the reaction of the spring 13 will push the latch to locking position underneath said rest.

16 represents brace-rods pivotally secured to the cross-head at 17, and 18 is an aperture in the bar 3 for the reception of the kingbolt 19. At each end of the cross-head 2 I have provideda depending bar 20, which is preferably formed with a rearward pitch and is provided at its lower end with a removable shoe 21, connected with the bar by suitable bolts. These bars 20 and shoes 21 are adapted to support the tongues at their rear ends together with the cross-head when detached from the vehicle. When attached to fire-engines, it is frequently desirable to separate the horses from the engine quickly, this being accomplished by merely withdrawing the king-bolt 19 when the bar 3 draws away from the hounds and drops down slightly until the shoes contact with the ground, whereupon the horses may be driven away with the shoes sliding on the ground. When the shoe becomes worn out, it may be readily detached from the bar and another substituted therefor.

The evener-bars 25 are secured to the crosshead by pivot-bolts 26, as best indicated in Fig. 2. Each of the evener-bars constitutes a lever, having the inwardly-projecting arm twice the length of that which projects outwardly. The whiflietrees 27 of the two outer horses are attached to the front ends of the levers, while the intermediate whiifletree 28 is connected with the inner or long arms of both levers at 29. lever are twice .the length of the short arms and as the intermediate whiffletree 28 is connected with both of the levers, it is obvious that the draft will be equalized.

I am aware that levers similar to the evenerbars 25 have heretofore been used in connection with an ordinary centrally pivoted evener-bar, to the outer ends of which the levers were pivotally secured in a manner somewhat similar to the mode of attachment of my bars '25; but so far as I am aware I am the first to provide a form of construction in which such levers are secured to a fixed cross-head or draft-bar, and I attach great importance to the fact that the pivotal supports of the bars 25 are not free to move in the direction of the draft, as they would be if the crosshead were hung upon a central pivot, for by attaching the bars 25 to a substantially rigid support a horse cannot relieve itself of the load by lagging.

In fire-engine houses the horses are usually trained to assume their respective positions in front of the vehicle, and with the described construction the lifting of one of the poles permits the central horse to pass in under the pole to its position between the poles, whereupon the lifted pole can be lowered to ahorizontal position, when the latch 10 engages the bracket-rest 9 and prevents the pole from lifting during use. It will of course be understood that the lifted pole is held in its raised position by a suitable support in the barn or engine-house in which the vehicle is located.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a device of the described class, the combination of a cross-head; of a king-bar for connecting the same with the vehicle, provided with a point bearing at its rear end, and having a king-bolt aperture; angle-iron braces reinforcing said bar from the point bearing As the long arms of the to a point near the king-bolt aperture, and curved outwardly and attached to the crosshead; and a plurality of tongues pivotally secured to the cross-head.

2. In a device of the described class, the combination with a suitable cross-head; a king-bar for attachment to the vehicle; a plurality of tongues attached to said cross-head by suitable pivot-bolts; brackets projecting from the cross-head and provided with rests for the tongues; and latch-and-catch mechanism located on the tongues and adapted to engage said brackets.

3. In a device of the described class, the

combination with a suitable cross-head; a

king-bar for attachment to the vehicle; a plurality of tongues attached to said cross-head by suitable pivot-bolts; brackets projecting from the cfoss-head and provided with rests for the tongues; a spring-actuated latch located on the under side of each tongue and adapted to engage underneath the bracketrest, when the tongue is lowered to horizontal position.

7 4:. In a device of thedescribed class, the combination with a suitable cross -.head; a king-bar for attachment to the vehicle; aplur'ality of tongues attached to said cross-head by suitable pivot-bolts; brackets projecting from the cross-head and provided with rests for the tongues; a spring-actuated latch located on the under side ofeach tongue and adapted to automatically engage underneath the bracket-rest when the tongue is lowered to horizontal position.

5. In a device of the described class, the combination with a suitable support, of a tongue pivotally connected therewith; a bracket projecting from the support and provided with a rest for the tongue; and latchand-catch mechanism located on the tongue and adapted to engage said bracket.

6. In a device of the described class, the combination with a suitable support, of a tongue pivotally connected therewith; a bracket projecting from the support and provided with a rest for the tongue; and latchand-catch mechanism located on the tongue and adapted to engage said bracket; together with a diagonal brace-bar, pivoted to the support and rigidly connected with the tongue.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

LOUIS KEDING. Witnesses:

LEVERETT G. WHEELER, JAs. B. ERWIN. 

